Mountain Wedding: Day-After Adventure

The North Cascades is home to so many of my favorite trails and mountain peaks, and it truly is such a magical national park for a mountain wedding adventure! Katie and Max reached out to me over a year before their wedding date, so I had the honor of getting to photograph their engagement photos and their wedding (they are what I affectionately refer to as a full-circle couple). After getting to know Katie and Max before their engagement session, I knew the North Cascades would be the perfect location for them. Click here to see Katie, Max and their miniature goldendoodle, Moe, adventure at Diablo Lake in North Cascades National Park during their engagement session.

Did you see Moe’s paw resting on Katie and Max’s hands? That’s my favorite photo, too! One of my favorite things about posting my couples adventures on my blog is how the nature surrounding them helps narrate their story. In the blog about Katie and Max’s mountain engagement session, I had written, “I feel like every time I go on a hike, go camping, or even just go on a run outside, there is something that nature does to me! There’s a stillness, a patience, and a calmness that our cities and culture quite honestly lack. By escaping the traffic and cell phone signal, we have an opportunity to slow down, breathe some fresh air, and actually look at the view in front of us. I mean, how cool is that?!”

Woof. I needed to hear that! Over the past month, Drew and I have both been traveling for our jobs, Drew competed in a half-Ironman (yes, I am married to an absolute stud), we’ve had dear people come visit us in our little mountain town, and Drew had a bike accident that landed him on an operating table for a broken collar bone (yep, still a stud!). I am so thankful I wrote those words about the stillness and calmness that nature offers us! So, let this serve as my check-in with you: have you made time for you recently? No? Me either. So, let’s do this together. Pull up your calendar right now and schedule a weekend hike, camping trip, s’mores night, evening walk at a city park, or wine night-in with your favorite sweatpants. For me, this week Drew and I went to Rio Bravo, got some burritos, and drove out on mountain roads until we didn’t have cell phone service anymore. It was so refreshing, so rejuvenating, and so needed! Make the time; you won’t regret it!

Now that we’ve established some self-TLC time, let’s get back to Katie and Max’s mountain wedding adventure! Katie and Max’s wedding day was in downtown Ballard, a historic neighborhood with Nordic and maritime roots with amazing restaurants and bars. Even though Katie and Max had their wedding day in the city, they still wanted adventurous wedding photos. Ladies and gentlemen, allow me to introduce to you, day-after adventure sessions!

Why to Consider a Day-After Adventure Session in the Mountains

Day-after adventure sessions are photos taken the day after your wedding (fitting title, huh?). One of the reasons I am a fan of day-after adventure sessions is because they allow you to have more time with family and friends at the wedding venue on your wedding day, rather than sneaking away for a short time to have some portraits taken. Day-after sessions also allow you to be creative with the location, like Katie and Max! They were able to have traditional wedding photos at their venue in Ballard, as well as stunning mountain top photos without settling for either one or the other. With day-after adventure sessions, you truly can have the best of both worlds!

The original plan for Katie and Max’s day-after adventure session had us going to Mount Rainier National Park, but a thunderstorm rolled in where we were planning to go. I knew Katie and Max had sweet memories of skiing together at Mount Baker, and the forecast called for clear skies! So, we made a game-time decision to head north to Mount Baker. When planning photography sessions in the mountains, you have to be flexible when Mother Nature decides to pour rain on your original plans. I am so thankful for Katie and Max and for how willing they were to go with the flow. Because, in Washington, when it’s pouring on one mountain, it’s likely clear skies at another!

Tips For Planning a Mountain Wedding Adventure Session

It’s so important to book a photographer who is seasoned in the outdoors (I know of a great one, lol!). There are details like trail conditions, time of year, light during times of the day and weather patterns that can really make a huge difference in the experience of your adventure session. From drive-up mountain backdrops, to six to ten mile hikes, I’m your gal to help find the perfect adventure for you!

What did Katie and Max have to say about their full-circle adventure with Between the Pine? Read their review!

“Mollie was the first vendor we booked for our wedding. We knew that photography was the MOST important investment we could make in capturing our day forever. Mollie was always there for us, always exceeding our expectations and a creative sounding board for our ideas. She was so supportive and encouraging. I always felt like myself and so beautiful in front of her camera. The photos from our wedding make me so beyond happy. Mollie captures joy in every single one. Every time I look at them I smile and remember the day like it’s happening, they are so organic and beautiful. If you’re thinking about booking Mollie I cannot give a higher recommendation your big day. You will be truly grateful for that choice.”

How to Add Adventure to Your Wedding

If adventure is a part of who you are, stay true to you! You could plan an adventurous elopement! Click here to read my tips on how to elope in Washington. If a mountain adventure elopement isn’t your style, you can have adventurous engagement photos and/or a day-after session like Katie and Max! There are great ways to incorporate adventure for every wedding. When Drew and I got married, we found vintage postcards from the National Parks and had our guests write notes on the backs. We still have them in our home and cherish them! Curious about other ways to incorporate adventure into your wedding day? Let’s chat!

Have you ever adventured in this iconic American national park? Fun fact, Yosemite National Park is where I fell in love with the West! Read this blog post to learn all about my favorite hikes, how to get to Yosemite and the best places to stay near this fan favorite national park.

Did you know you can incorporate adventure into any and every wedding? From a rock climbing elopement to a traditional wedding at a downtown venue in the city, you can have a mountain wedding adventure! Read the story of how Katie and Max planned their wedding timeline to include this mountain adventure the day after their wedding. Ready to plan your mountain wedding? Let’s adventure!

Planning an elopement, but don’t know where to start? I get it! A lot of prep work and planning goes into every adventure elopement. But, have no fear! I’m here to help! Read this blog to learn all the things you need to know to elope in Washington.

When eloping in the Pacific Northwest, there are endless options of what could be the backdrop for your adventure elopement. The abundant amount of options can quickly become overwhelming! But, fear not! I have put together a list of the top five best elopement backdrops to help you plan your own adventure elopement. This list includes links to elopements and adventure sessions with these backdrops to help you envision your own elopement in these locations. Alright, let’s adventure, shall we?

After becoming big fans of this couple over pizza in the city, we headed to Snoqualmie National Forest for their engagement session. It’s engagement sessions like these that leave me feeling really grateful for my job as an adventure elopement photographer. Are you engaged and looking for an adventure? Keep reading!

Aug 2, 2019

Between the Pine is an adventure elopement and wedding photography brand created by Mollie Adams. Based in the Pacific Northwest, Mollie travels with her camera in hand to document “I dos” in epic landscapes including Washington, Oregon, California, and Hawaii.